Angora Wings and Other Things
by Der Mondstrahl
Summary: Lucius Malfoy fails to make the potion he wants and hires Severus Snape to help him out. It isn't until Lucius meets Severus face to face that he discovers that the side effects of his failed potion will make Snape's stay with him much more interesting.
1. Lucius Can't Mix Potions

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A/N: I would like to give credit to my dear friend Insert Clever Username Here, as she and I stayed up till very late at night/early in the morning several days in a row in complete collaboration writing this in a 110 degree room.

Also, both of us acknowledge that only the really bad puns are ours, and the characters belong very much to WB and JKR.

Enjoy! We'd love reviews!

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Chapter 1: Lucius Can't Mix Potions

Lucius examined his hair in the mirror. There was no noticeable difference, at least not as far as shininess and silkiness were concerned. He glanced at the half-empty beaker on his dresser and wondered where he had made his mistake. Well, he had never been a very gifted potion-maker, and five years without stepping foot in a classroom had not helped matters. He would not be repeating this attempt at making his own hair care potions.

He cast about for a solution. His mind fell on Severus, who had occasionally helped him with his work for Professor Slughorn. He remembered little of the old acquaintance, except for that he had been scrawny, younger, sullen, and excellent at potions. Recalling that he would have been out of Hogwarts a year by now, Lucius wondered if he could be persuaded to do him a favor. Leaving his hair to its mediocrity, he grabbed a quill and began to compose a brief owl to Snape.

Severus was awoken several hours earlier than usual by a rapping on his window. Wondering who on Earth would have sent him an owl, he opened it and read it, massaging the sleep from his temples as he did so.

_Dear Severus,_

_I have run into a small problem with a certain potion and am in need of your help and discretion. You will be compensated, of course. Please reply and come to Malfoy Manor as soon as possible._

_Lucius_

Severus was unaccustomed to receiving owls of any kind, much less owls from old school acquaintances he had not seen in years. He remembered Lucius vividly – tall, pale, long, blonde hair, completely rubbish at potions – but could not recall any impediment that would have rendered him incapable of visiting an apothecary and asking for advice. He had been avoiding any reminder of his school years, and his first instinct was to refuse, but glancing around at his Spartan accommodations made him think again. He glanced back down at the letter. _You will be compensated, of course._ Well, the Malfoys had enough gold to keep their son talking for seven years. Surely they would have enough to keep Severus fed for the next few weeks. He packed his bag with basic ingredients, penned a reply before he could allow himself to change his mind and was halfway out the door before he realized that Lucius had not mentioned what the potion was for.

Snape appeared with a crack in front of a tall wrought iron gate, and peered into the darkness to find his bearings. In the gate the words "_Malfoy Manor__" _were woven in ornate silver script. Severus rolled his eyes at the lack of subtlety. He pushed on the gate, and it swung open silently. He swooped down the path, his black cloak flying behind him, past a small flock of albino peacocks. Severus smirked and hoped that old Lucius would be as generous with his employees as his family was with his manor. After walking down the ridiculously long drive, Severus reached the Manor's front doors and sent the silver snake-shaped-knockers booming against them. He waited in the dark for several minutes, occasionally glancing back at the peacocks, for someone to answer the door. When he was about to knock again, one of the doors opened and Lucius Malfoy appeared from behind it. He looked about the same as he had the last time they had met, but his hair was longer and his torso had broadened. It suited him.

"Good evening, my friend," said Lucius softly. Severus thought it was a little odd to be addressed as his friend; they hadn't seen each other in years and had never been close to begin with.

"Good evening, Lucius," replied Snape briskly, "I hope I got here on time."

"Oh, you did. I appreciate your urgency," Lucius said, "Besides, Severus, it really has been too long."

Snape blinked rapidly in the dark. He wondered what could be so urgent that he had to come in the middle of the night, but not so urgent that they could stand outside exchanging unexpected pleasantries.

"Indeed," said Snape, raising and eyebrow. "Shall I get to work, then?"

"Oh," he said, as if he'd forgotten why Snape had come, "of course. Right this way. And, by the way, Severus, black suits you very nicely. It brings out your eyes."

As Lucius turned around, sweeping his long hair in a wide circle, Snape, eyes wide, shook his head in resigned bewilderment; it seemed more than just Lucius's hair had changed since they'd last met.

They walked into the candlelit antechamber, and Lucius twirled around once more, making his hair swish through the air again, and asked Severus if he wanted a beverage.

Snape said no.

Looking unabashed, Lucius, with a hand on Severus's shoulder, steered him into the smallest room he'd seen yet at the Malfoy Manor, but one that still would have engulfed Snape's house.

"Here's where you may work, Severus," said Lucius with an uncharacteristically genuine smile, "call me if you need anything. Or if you don't need anything. I honestly don't have much to be getting on with. Is there anything that you need now? Or anything you would like? Anything to make you more comfortable? Anything I can do to make you more relaxed?"

Severus blinked. Lucius still hadn't told him what he was making. He coughed and replied "Lucius, I will require the name of the potion you need me to make."

Lucius looked embarrassed, and asked if a recipe would be enough. Snape agreed, knowing that he could whip up any potion in his sleep, name or no name. Lucius disappeared and returned several minutes later carrying a piece of parchment with a handwritten list of ingredients and procedure.

Snape took them with a curt nod and waited politely for Lucius to leave the room. Lucius stared at him for a few seconds, and then shook his head as though dazed. "I…suppose I'll leave you to your work then," he said, and left.

Snape sighed. Perhaps time had worn away the memory, but he could not recall Lucius ever being quite so…friendly.

Lucius shook his head again, as though clearing away cobwebs, while actually trying in vain to settle the unexpected butterflies in his stomach. Good of Snape to come so soon, he thought, trying to think of his hair potion but finding his mind wandering again to Severus's admirable…work ethic...the way his eyes focused intently on Lucius as he gave him instructions…his eyes…He shook himself again. Severus had grown taller since Lucius had graduated; four inches, at least, and was able to meet Lucius's gaze almost levelly. His gaze…His mannerisms, however, had stayed exactly the same. The way he stood absolutely still during conversation, his face like a mask, his bottomless eyes the only betrayers of his emotions.

Lucius ran over their conversation in his mind. Snape had met him at the door, he had invited him in, and…

He cringed. _It brings out your eyes?_ What on Earth had prompted him to say anything so utterly ridiculous? Severus had always worn black. They had _all_ worn black.

His mind reeling, Lucius sank down in a chair by the fire, recalling their exchange with new misgivings. The hair-swishing. The hand on the shoulder. The repeated offers to make Snape feel as at home – as comfortable_ – as relaxed_ – as possible. He had been _flirting._ There was no way around it. He had gone completely off his head, and had undoubtedly made an ass of himself.

What would provoke so sudden and strong an attraction someone he had not seen in four years, let alone someone as unhandsome and aloof as Severus Snape? He ran a hand through his (still disappointingly dull) hair and leaned back in the armchair to consult with the ceiling. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence. Then what…

Wincing, he remembered the reason he had summoned Severus in the first place. Had he seen anyone else since the early morning? His parents were away, along with the servants, so Severus was the first person he had seen. There was no other explanation. In his foolish attempt to manufacture his own hair care products, he had unwittingly made a love potion.


	2. Lucius Fails with Flying Colors

Chapter 2: Lucius Fails with Flying Colors

Lucius awoke early the next morning. He took several seconds to realize that a) he had fallen asleep in the armchair and b) that Severus Snape was standing over him with the same stoic, slightly sarcastic look on his face. Before Lucius could open his mouth (and what was there, really, to say?) Severus said, "You seem to be out of lacewing flies," and disapparated.

Lucius calmed his breathing and stood. There was nothing for it but to make an antidote for the love potion. He cautiously opened the door to Severus's workroom and examined the ingredients in the cupboard. It couldn't be that difficult, could it?

Severus returned some twenty minutes later, apothecary bag in hand. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Lucius was nowhere in sight before hurrying to his workroom, hoping he would be able to do so without being noticed by his uncommonly buoyant host. He tried the door of the workroom and found that it was locked. When his wand produced no effect, he knocked briskly.

"Who is it?" a shaky voice from within said.

"Who else would it be?"

Snape heard muttering from within.

"Ahh, bad time, Mr. Snape…I think it would prudent for you to go back to work instead of socializing."

"A brilliant suggestion, _Mr. Malfoy._ Why don't you let me in so I can do that?"

"I…oh. I see."

The door opened a crack so that only Lucius's eyes were visible. They were uncharacteristically panicked. Snape peered into the room and caught sight of Lucius. His eyes widened in shock. "Lucius, what…"

"_Help me,"_ Lucius said in a terrified whisper. He grabbed Severus's arm and pulled him into the room, slamming the door behind him and charming it shut before Severus could get a word in edgewise. Then Lucius turned on the light.

Snape, whose shock had worn off, looked at Lucius again and tried very hard not to laugh.

"Well?"

Severus smirked. "You've got wings."

"Duly noted. Will you stop standing there and _fix me?_"

Snape cocked his head to one side. "Even if I wanted to, these are a bit beyond me," he lied, not wanting to concern himself with Lucius's anatomical problems. "I'm sure Saint Mungo's will be able to sort you out."

Lucius gestured at the fluffy things on his shoulders. "Severus. I can't go out like this."

Snape shrugged. "Not my problem. In fact, I doubt anyone would mind."

Lucius's feathers bristled, and he grabbed Snape's arm. "Would fifty galleons make it your problem?"

"No."

"Seventy-five, then?"

"Are you going to offer to throw in a toaster, or may I leave?"

"_A hundred galleons_, Severus."

Snape looked into Lucius's icy blue eyes, which were, completely uncharacteristically, _pleading._

He sighed. "Fine," he said, "But you're going to have to let go of my arm." Lucius obliged him. Severus needed the money. Badly.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Now –" he jerked his head at the area behind his back and looking even more comical as he did so " – what can you do?"

"Well," said Severus, trying and failing to look thoughtful, "I can start by changing them so that they aren't pink. Unless you want to keep them that way so that we can tell you apart from your peacocks?"

Lucius groaned. "No, that would be a good start," he said, readying himself to put up with Snape's derision.

Severus snickered, but drew out his wand and flicked it at the wings, turning them from powder pink to white. "That's…ehem…better," said Snape.

"So can you get them off?" asked Lucius nervously.

"Well, I'll need to examine them. Might I ask how you managed to sprout these rather…" Severus searched for an adjective to describe Malfoy's predicament. In searching, his eyes landed on the elegant wings sprouting from his golden muscular back. Lucius's neck tensed in anxiety under his locks of blond hair. "Well, these wings," he finished, too distracted to think of a suitable modifier.

"You may ask," snapped Lucius, unaware of his employee's intense inspection of his back, "but do not expect me to answer."

Snape chuckled, and, unseen by Lucius, rubbed his hands together mischievously. "That's no good then. I'll just have to…" Severus reached out to probe the top of Lucius's right wing, "…see for myself," he finished.

Lucius stifled a gasp as Severus's fingers closed on his wing. This was not something he could have prepared himself for. Lucius bit down on his fist to keep from crying out as Snape felt up and down the crest of his wing, all the way to where the feathers turned into skin at his back.

Snape noted that the feathers were incredibly soft. He was familiar with the anatomy of birds, having used various types of bird feathers for his potion-making, and he had never felt any as luxurious as Lucius's feathers. He traced his hand over the arc of the wing, feeling the strength of the bone, and rested it in the crook where the wing attached seamlessly to Lucius's back. He used two hands to probe the connection between the wings (making Lucius jump slightly), surprised to find that they weren't merely appendages but had worked their way into Lucius's skeletal structure. Snape guessed that Lucius could probably fly if he wanted to.

"Have you moved them at all?" asked Snape.

Lucius removed his fist from him mouth carefully and replied, "No! Ah, I didn't want to enc …ah…courage them!"

"Stretch them out," ordered Snape, smirking over Lucius's shoulder.

"Is…is that …hmmm…really necessary?" stuttered Lucius, still trying not to let on about the effect Snape's hand was having.

"There are nine different ways for wizards to, accidentally or not, sprout wings. I need to figure out which one you've done. If I guess wrong, I could end up removing half your spine unnecessarily," he said matter-of-factly, running his thumb down Lucius's spine for emphasis. Lucius shivered and put his fist back in his mouth.

Severus had already figured out which type of wings Lucius had sprouted – he was merely enjoying seeing Lucius so flustered. At school, Lucius, being older and very rich, had always been in control of the situation. Severus was enjoying the changing of the tides.

Of the nine varieties of wings, two were various butterfly wings, one was pterodactyl, and one was a set of joke cherub wings commonly used on Valentine's Day. One set was too tiny for flight, and one set wouldn't stop flapping until the possessor was fifty feet in the air. One set would completely replace arms, and one set would periodically turn the wearer into a turkey. The only one that fit the profile of Lucius's wings would be wrapped intricately in Lucius's anatomy, would make him capable of flight, and were very sensitive to touch, but he wasn't going to tell Lucius he knew any of that. The only mystery was their color. Only Lucius, thought Severus, could make this particularly advanced set of wings sprout from his back by accident. Pink.

"Go on then," encouraged Snape, flatly, tugging on Lucius's wings for encouragement. Lucius inhaled sharply and twitched his wing out of Snape's grip. Snape grinned to himself. Slowly, the wings spread until they filled the room, arching gracefully at their full span. Severus observed Lucius's back muscles rippling with the effort of holding them aloft. Out of curiosity rather than necessity, he put his hand on the joint and ordered Lucius to try to flap them. Lucius, thoroughly red in the face, complied. Severus was transfixed by the motion under Lucius's skin. As the wings beat downward, the room filled with moving air, and the fire under the cauldron leapt to life, bringing Snape out of his concentration and startling Lucius.

"Right, then," said Snape. "That should be enough for me to go on for a while."

"Good, good," replied Lucius, in a businesslike tone that Severus would have taken seriously if it hadn't been said by a shirtless man with eight feet of wing sticking out from either side.

"Do you need help bringing them back in?" asked Snape, still behind Lucius.

"No!" replied Lucius, too quickly, "can you just…will you go…I have to…you must be starving, Severus. You've been working all night. There's food in the kitchen."

Severus knew when he wasn't wanted, and he ducked under Lucius's wing to get to the door. Once he was out the door, he wondered why he was pretending not to know the effect his touch was having on Lucius. Well, he reasoned, his reaction had been completely priceless.


	3. Mutual Drink Spiking

Chapter 3: Mutual Drink Spiking

Over the next few days, Severus Snape toiled unceasingly in the "small" workroom in the Malfoy Manor. Lucius poked in on his progress anxiously and frequently expressing concern for Snape's wellbeing. Lucius had never seen him leave the room and got the impression that Snape wasn't eating.

Besides the surly workaholic in the east wing, Lucius was now faced with two problems. One, he had a set of wings. These wings were large and bulky and would not fit under a shirt, so Lucius was forced to wander around his house without one. Also they were so sensitive that Lucius would gasp and close his eyes any time anything, including furniture such as his bed, touched them. His other problem was that he was under the influence of a love potion that made him say very stupid and embarrassing things every time he spoke to Severus Snape. He thought he'd die of embarrassment if Snape ever found out how amazing it felt to have his hands wrapped in his wings, his breath down his neck…So instead of asking him to stop, he was going to hide the effects.

Snape was working feverishly, and his face was always flushed and sweaty when Lucius checked in on him. Then again, Lucius had turned up the heat in the Manor to compensate for his shirtlessness. He very nearly suggested that Severus remove his own shirt, but caught himself in time.

Severus would no doubt fix the wing problem, but the effects love potion remained to be cured. Lucius knew that he should not try again to make the antidote himself, unless he wanted to end up transformed into a purple unicorn, so he devised a plan to get Snape to make one for him.

Snape buried himself in his work on the cure for Lucius's wings. It was an incredibly long and complicated process. The stewing alone would take days. Much to Severus's dismay, Lucius kept visiting him to check up on his progress. Eventually, Lucius started asking Snape to join him for dinner or drinks in the evenings. Snape, a little apprehensive about what could happen if he spent too much time with Lucius, always refused; he had grown accustomed to sneaking out for meals at odd hours to avoid his employer. Eventually, though, after Lucius walked in on him doing absolutely nothing several times in a row, he decided to resume his original project, the mystery potion, without telling Lucius. This was not an altruistic venture. Not only was Snape trying to avoid Lucius, he wanted to have time to study the required potion to discover its purpose. It was quite a simple potion; he had it ready within days, but he could not determine its use. Overcome with curiosity, Snape decided to try to observe its effects.

Lucius knocked on the now locked door of the workroom. To his surprise, Severus opened the door. A large cloud of purple smoke wafted out.

"Severus, really. All that smoke can't be good for you. You should take a little break. Come have a drink with me."

He was prepared for another rejection, and thinking about coming up with a new plan, but Severus agreed. He ducked back into the room, probably to turn the fire off or something, returned, and followed the winged Lucius down the hall to a warm drawing room. Lucius deftly poured the drinks (brandy for himself, scotch for Severus) with his back to Severus and then gestured at an armchair by the fireplace. He then sank into his own velvet chair, but sprang up a second later, blushing furiously at the sensation that raced through his wings. He hastened out of the room, muttering something about a stool. After he was gone, Snape grabbed Lucius's drink, emptied the small flask from his sleeve into it, replaced it on the table and sat back down, assuming a look of brooding nonchalance before Lucius could return.

After his host had settled in his newfound seat (a high, elegant stool that did not touch his wings), it became apparent that the two had absolutely nothing to talk about. Lucius spent several moments sneaking sidelong glances at Severus while Severus surreptitiously examined him for any sign that the potion was taking effect. Finally, Lucius decided it was probably time to say something.

"So, um," he began, "how's the potion coming?"

Severus wanted to make the conversation last long enough to see the effects of the potion, so he launched into a detailed explanation of his process (only leaving out describing his copious idle time).

"Well, you managed to conjure yourself a pair of Angora wings. They are the most difficult type to conjure, and the potion requires Angora rabbit fur and some other quite rare ingredients. I looked over the ingredients that your other potion requires, and Angora fur was one of them. This could be a late manifesting side effect of your former useless potion. I can't fathom what you were actually trying to make…"

Lucius internally smacked himself. He must have added the Angora to the love potion antidote, the second potion, by mistake. It seemed that Severus was still unaware that he had tried to make a second potion while he was gone and thought that this was the side effect of the first potion. This was good, thought Lucius. It meant he wouldn't suspect another side effect—namely, Lucius's affections. He wouldn't suspect Lucius's affections.

Snape continued. "Anyway, so I've isolated the rest of the potion and it looks nothing like what I've made—sorry, going to make for you. I don't unders—"

Snape was getting too close to discovering his secret, so Lucius cut him off with the first question that he could think of."Severus!" he interrupted. "How's your love life been since Hogwarts?" He sipped his drink and looked at his employee over the glass.

"I…oh…It's…well, I've…you know…My…the…it…sorry?" Snape, who sounded like a textbook while talking about potions, now sounded more like he was listing the shortest words in his vocabulary.

"I see," said Lucius, noting that for the first time since Severus's arrival, Lucius was the more comfortable. He was sorry for asking, but didn't want to appear too sensitive, so he joked, "That good, eh?"

"And what about you?" Severus snapped, suddenly annoyed and uncomfortable. This is what he'd been avoiding by hiding in the workroom. "Have you got anything better to report?" Snape also regretted his question immediately. Of course Lucius had better things to report that he, Snivellus Snape. He was Lucius Malfoy. His golden hair and golden abs glowing at Severus in the firelight would only be outshone by his golden purse. "Never mind," Snape spat, irritated. "I suppose you _have _spent your time squandering your father's money on floozies rather than cultivating a career and keeping your mind sharp. I, on the other hand, thought it necessary to remain able to make myself a potion without sprouting pink and fluffy wings. I guess you could afford to pay people not to laugh at you, though, even if you turned yourself into a turkey."

Lucius had not expected this sudden change in atmosphere. Severus's words hurt, and before he knew it, he retorted "Well, it's certainly worked on you, hasn't it?" When Severus did not reply, he continued, "Honestly, if all I had to offer you was a hundred galleons to live in my house and obey my every whim, I could own the wizarding world within a week, couldn't I?" Oh, dear. That was probably overdoing it. Before Lucius could apologize, Snape had stood up, leaving his half-empty glass on the table, and stormed out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him.

Lucius sensibly waited until Snape was gone before allowing himself to panic. If Severus left now, he would remain alone, winged, and hopelessly infatuated, at least until he could overcome his pride (which would probably be shortly after his death) and visit Saint Mungo's. His only consolation was that he had managed to add the love potion to Severus's drink, which meant that he could acknowledge his "mistake" in the morning and trick Severus into manufacturing an antidote for them both. If the effects manifested in time, perhaps Severus would not want to leave the house. Still, though, he had to find some way to show his guest his remorse so that he would not find some lethal ingredient in his remedy. But how…?

He smiled. He'd prepare a sumptuous breakfast. Surely a plate of steaming waffles from the hands of a shirtless man with Angora wings would be enough to assuage even the wrath of Severus Snape.

Back in the workroom, Snape brooded. The entire interview had been a waste of time. There had been no perceptible change in Lucius, but perhaps the potion was slow-acting and he would be able to see in the morning. He once more considered leaving, but he admitted bitterly to himself that Lucius had been right. He was ashamed at being able to be bought off so easily, but he needed money too badly to be picky about who was paying him. Still, he told himself, if it weren't for his curiosity about the unknown potion, he would pack up and seek employment elsewhere. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and went to sleep, to forget how lumpy the pillow was in comparison to Lucius's wings.


	4. Potions Amuck

Chapter 4: Potions Amuck

In the morning, Snape crept cautiously out of the workroom, hoping that he could get breakfast without running into his host. Reassuring himself that Lucius could not possibly be up this early, he crossed the threshold into the kitchen.

Sunlight streamed in through the window onto Lucius's face, lending a faint glow to his skin that made him look more like an angel than ever. His cheeks were flushed, the reason revealed by the scent of waffles that was permeating the kitchen. The most noticeable feature of this agreeable sight, however, was the long blonde hair falling past Lucius's shoulders. It had always been glossy, but now it glinted noticeably in the morning light, and cascaded down his bare back in gentle waves at the slightest movement of his head. It was obvious now what the original potion had been for, but Snape was surprised to find himself gaping instead of laughing.

"Good morning, Severus," he said, smiling slightly and holding out a bowl of fruit salad. "Breakfast?"

"Hello, Luscious…er…Lucius…that is...that looks very…yes," Snape stammered, gesturing helplessly at the fruit salad in an attempt to cover his mistake. Lucius's smile widened.

The food was indeed luscious. Snape was about to comment that Lucius was better at cooking than potion-making when his host cleared his throat.

"I suppose you're wondering what all this is about," he began, indicating the heaping plates before them.

"It did cross my mind, yes," Severus lied. For once, he'd been preoccupied with the situation itself and not with how or why it had occurred.

"I just felt horrible about our little misunderstanding last night, and I wanted to clear things up," he said, casually brushing his knee past Severus's as he spoke.

"Oh," was all Snape could think to say, and Lucius was inwardly satisfied at the shocked look on his face.

"I certainly want your stay here to be…pleasurable," Lucius continued, now letting his foot follow his knee and wrap around Severus's ankle. "And I wouldn't dream of alienating my only hope for a normal life." When Snape made no reply, Lucius cocked his head to one side to look at him, affecting an expression of deep concern. "Severus, are you all right? You don't seem to be quite at ease…"

Snape shook his head to clear it and gingerly withdrew his ankle. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean." He was pretending so hard not to be affected, that he forgot that he would normally have been uncomfortable with his employer's sudden physical proximity.

"Well, I would hate to think you'd been working too hard…or…" Lucius gasped dramatically as though remembering something.

"Yes?" Snape asked after Lucius had spent several more moments in exaggerated thought.

Lucius waved a hand dismissively. "No, it's nothing. I couldn't have possibly been so…Just…wait here a moment, won't you?" And he left in the direction of the drawing room at what was almost a run.

Snape tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. The sooner Lucius returned, the sooner he could excuse himself and get back to work and _leave._ The thought of escaping Malfoy Manor was appealing to his logical side more and more. When Lucius reappeared, however, it was with an expression of deep chagrin that made Snape stand up in alarm in spite of himself. "Well?" he asked, as sardonically as he could manage.

"I can't believe I was so stupid…" Lucius said, running a hand through his strokable hair. "Last night, when you had scotch and I had brandy…"

"Yes?"

"The scotch…well…it wasn't scotch."

"What _was_ it?" Snape asked testily.

Lucius allowed a full beat for a dramatic pause before saying, "Love potion."

Severus's mind reeled. It explained everything. He was horrified. He glanced fearfully at Lucius, which was a mistake. He tried to formulate the words that would excuse him to go begin working on an antidote, but got caught up gazing at the long silky hair resting gently on the soft, delicate wings in front of him. How could he be acting so stupid? Without saying a word to Lucius, he dashed out the kitchen door, leaving Lucius standing shirtless holding a bowl of fruit salad, his wings twitching feebly.

"Well, that worked," said Lucius to himself. But he was almost sorry to know that soon he would no longer be able to enjoy Severus's eyes meeting his.

Snape was panicking, but he channeled it into industriousness. He began mixing potions once more, but this time trying to obtain a universal love potion antidote as quickly as possible. He chopped, stirred, shredded, shook, sprinkled, scattered and brewed. He finished, his skin glistening with sweat in the flickering firelight, and scooped himself a sample. He drank it quickly, and went to test the result.

Lucius was in the library trying to distract himself from Snape. The library of the Malfoy Manor was three stories high, and contained no ladders. Generally, Lucius would have summoned a book from the shelf, but he had left his wand in the kitchen and did not feel up to retrieving it.

Severus started his search for Lucius by looking the kitchen, but stopped when he heard a thud coming from the library. When Severus walked in, Lucius was, once more, twenty feet off the ground, his book on the floor forgotten. When he caught sight of Severus, however, his wings stopped beating, and he rocketed into the marble floor, landing next to his book and making a significantly louder thud than Snape heard earlier. His wings were tangled beneath him, and Lucius appeared to be in pain. Snape rushed to help him. He seized Lucius's arm to pull him up, but Lucius groaned and stayed put.

"It's the wings. I landed on them, and I think I've broken one."

"I see," replied Snape, concerned, "can you flip onto your stomach?"

Lucius obeyed, exposing his wings to Severus. Severus pulled out his wand and used a spell to search for broken bones. There were none. He used a spell to check for torn ligaments or hurt muscles. There were none. He scanned his eyes up and down the wings and noticed that a few feathers were sticking the wrong way.

"Oh," said Snape, dramatically.

"What?" asked Lucius, "Is it serious?"

"Lucius," replied Snape, drawing it out for effect, "your …your feathers are out of line."

"Oh no! What does that mean?" said Lucius anxiously.

"It means… we have to fix them."

"Oh," said Lucius, realizing that he was being made fun of.

"Can you reach them?" asked Snape, returning to a businesslike tone.

Lucius, still on his face, tried to reach around to find the feathers. His arms didn't reach far enough. He didn't want to admit it, but he was still in quite a bit of pain. He, of course, didn't want Snape to know the effect touching his wings would have, but realizing he had no choice, he decided to risk it. Severus hadn't seemed to notice it before during his previous inspection.

"Severus," he pleaded.

"Yes?" asked Severus.

"Can you fix them please?"

Severus was all too happy to sink his fingers into the delicate feathers of his employer's wings once more. "Certainly, Lucius," he replied innocently.

There were several places where the feathers were out of order, and Severus started at the bottom of the wings, so that he didn't ruffle the ones further up. As he started smoothing them, he observed that Lucius was breathing unevenly and stifling moans in his fist. He pretended not to notice, but instead said slyly, "Lucius, I need you to tell me how it feels. I won't know if I've put the feathers back in the right place unless you tell me."

Lucius removed his fist from his mouth, and replied weakly "feels amaz--better." Severus smirked and continued his work with Lucius whimpering beneath him. The feathers were as silky as he remembered, and a few times he caught himself having stopped fixing them in favor of absentmindedly stroking them. Every time he did this, Lucius's hand would end up back over his mouth and he would start to shiver violently. By the time Severus's hands reached the wings' crest, Lucius's fist was not sufficient to stifle his moans, and Severus could no longer feign ignorance.

"What's wrong, Lucius?" he asked innocently, "does it hurt?"

"Haa…I, no….it…ahah…they…I mean…ohh… yes! Er, ahh… I mean, ouch! Stop!"

Severus rolled his eyes but took his hands off of the wings, deciding to play along. "Why didn't you say so?"

"Er…because I…knew it had to get done." It was a lame excuse.

Severus helped him up. Lucius stood up straight, but then quickly retrieved his book from the floor and held it in front of him.

"S-sorry, did you need something, Severus?" he asked, as if Severus had just walked in the room instead of spending the last fifteen minutes running his hands through his feathers.

Severus blinked, and his smirk faded from his face. "Ah," he said softly, "I believe not. Goodbye," he finished, turned on his heel and swept out of the room, leaving Lucius shaking slightly and clutching a book a little lower than he normally would have.


	5. Recipe for Disaster

Chapter 5: Recipe for Disaster

Snape sank down the wall of the workroom, running a hand through his hair. It hadn't worked, then. Lucius was still as irresistible as ever. What was worse was that this time, Snape hadn't resisted. He glared furiously at the floor. How could he have let things get so out of control? Prolonging the experience had been immature, and it would certainly make things more awkward after he was cured.

There was nothing for it. He must have done something wrong the first time he made the antidote, and now he had to fix it before he could make things worse. He pulled himself up to his full height and began to mix the same antidote he had used before, his mind wandering. Irresistible as ever? Something was wrong. He had only drunk the love potion last night…But that was irrelevant. Forgetting the thought as soon as it had arisen, he continued to stir and adjusted the fire. Well, Lucius had figured out how to give himself giant pink wings. Maybe he had managed to do something else incredibly stupid, like manufacture a love potion that wouldn't respond to general antidotes.

The caldron was bubbling now, and he sniffed it experimentally. It looked no different than it had the first time. Just to be sure, he drank the required dosage and pictured Lucius's face. The downy feathers on his wings. His hands running through his perfect hair. His sly smile. His body quivering on the floor…

He shook his head. He hadn't made a mistake. He never did. It was the antidote itself that wasn't working. The potion was too complicated, or the dosage wasn't strong enough, or…but he would not allow his mind to wander in that direction, at least not yet. He would go to Lucius and ask him for the recipe of the love potion. Surely the correct remedy would manifest from there.

Snape once again left the workroom to look for Lucius, steeling himself for the inevitable temptation. He decided to try his bedroom first, poking his head in cautiously, inwardly aware of the role reversal. It was usually Lucius who was intruding on Snape's privacy.

Lucius was standing in front of a full length mirror, looking over his shoulder at his back to examine the wings. At the sight of Severus in the doorway, he jumped and had to flap to steady himself. He straightened and cleared his throat. "Severus. You needed something?"

Severus smiled slightly at having caught Lucius off-guard, but he sobered when he remembered why he was there. "Yes, I'm afraid I need the recipe for your love potion."

Lucius's face fell. "There's no way to cure you without it?"

"I'm afraid not. Why? Old family secret?"

"Well, no, but I may have misplaced…hang on a bit, won't you?"

Snape obliged him, glancing around the room at the curtains, windows, bookshelves, and, of course, the majestic canopy bed in the center. Meanwhile, Lucius rifled through the cupboard of the adjoining and found the recipe where he had left it after his last failed experiment. He grabbed a parchment and quill and hastily scribbled the ingredients, copying them in the wrong order in the hope of concealing the fact that the "love potion" was in fact the original recipe that Snape had been asked to brew. He made sure he hadn't forgotten anything and then rushed back into the bedroom where Severus was waiting.

Snape took the parchment from him, careful to not let their fingers touch as he did so. He glanced down at it, but did not read it yet – he wanted to give himself something to do when he was alone in the workroom.

"Will this…speed things up?" Lucius asked him, cursing himself for asking. Severus was sure to draw conclusions from the fact that he cared whether the potion would work.

"I think so, yes," Snape told him, his face an emotionless mask. The two stared at each other for a moment. "I suppose I'd better be going, then," Snape said finally, and departed once more. Snape hated the knowledge that Lucius knew of his attraction. He felt dirty and embarrassed. He wanted this forced unrequited love to be over.

For the rest of the afternoon, Lucius sat on the bed and alternated between drumming his fingers on the bedpost and leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling (as he was currently prevented from flopping over on his back). After several hours, he was startled from his reverie by a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," he said, feigning nonchalance. "Back so soon?" he added at the sight of Snape's face in the doorway.

"The antidote is brewing. I thought I'd work on your wings. I need a sample to finish the potion," Severus informed him.

"What?" Lucius asked.

"A feather."

Lucius moved to pluck one out from the bottom, but Snape held up a hand. "I'm afraid I'll need to select one of the ones off the top." Lucius nodded and swallowed nervously as Snape approached the bed and disappeared behind his back.

Without asking permission, Severus ran a hand along the feathers and Lucius shivered at the suddenness of the gesture. Instead of taking a sample immediately, Snape dug his fingers into the pillowy mass of feathers and leaned in close on the pretext of examining them. Lucius involuntarily gripped Snape's other arm, which was resting on the bed.

"Ahh….Don't…aah…don't _do_ that…" Lucius said in a manner that was not at all convincing.

"Why not?" asked Snape, his dark eyes glittering, his hands unceasing. "Do they still hurt from your fall? Did I not fix them sufficiently? Do you need me to fix them again?" He ran his hands down the length of the wings as if searching for imperfections.

"No…no…ahhh, no, that's…ss…not the…they feel…ahh"

"I'm sorry, you'll need to speak more clearly than that, Lucius, or I'll never know what the problem is, and then, I'm afraid, I'll never to get them off…"

"It's…no…not….ahh"

"Not a problem, Lucius? Oh, then I shall go back to selecting a feather for the potion. Would that be suitable to you?"

Lucius could only whimper as Severus Snape gripped his fingers, once more, around the crests of his wings, stroking the feathers.

"It's interesting," said Snape between Lucius's moans, "I looked at that list you gave me. It raised a lot of questions. Your behavior raised a lot of questions. What were you doing in my workroom in the first place? Why -" Snape grasped the wing in front of him tighter, and Lucius inhaled sharply "- was that love potion in a bottle of alcohol anyway?"-- he rubbed the wing with his tight grip--, "Why did you make me fruit salad?--" Lucius cried out. "--Why did you say my robes bring out my eyes?"

Lucius, who had until this moment been succumbing to Snape's torment, suddenly beat his wings, throwing Severus backward off the bed and almost to the wall. With two more beats of his wings, Lucius was on his feet and traveling towards Severus very quickly. Severus backed against the wall and Lucius pinned him there, a hand on Snape's chest, their legs entwined and Lucius's wings outstretched to block Snape's exits. Lucius leaned in close and growled, "Severus, my friend, you are making me do something that I have been avoiding. All of your questions can be answered by the fact that I, too, am under the influence of the love potion and it was my misfortune to be intercepted by you first after taking it. It will be _your_ misfortune to wake up tomorrow with the memory of what we are about to do. You may look back on it with an eased conscience, however, because tonight I will have my revenge for the past few days' torment."

"And…how are you planning on doing that?" asked Snape, meekly.

"Any way I--" Lucius's hand slipped lower "--_feel_ like it," he finished.

It was Severus's turn to whimper.


	6. Solutions

Chapter 6: Solutions (pun intended)

The first thing Lucius registered upon awakening was the most divine sensation radiating from the vicinity of his back. He parted his lips and let a long groan escape from between them. Severus, who had woken up with a wing over his face, smiled and stopped petting the feathers now that Lucius was awake.

Lucius looked frantically around the room, the memories of last night coming back in a rush. It had not, then, been a dream. Eyes wide, he scooted away from Severus as rapidly as possible until he was backed up against the bed frame.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You're going to ruffle your feathers if you keep doing that," he said, "and I just spent a great deal of time getting them straightened out."

"We…did we just…?" Lucius gestured at the bed to indicate the pair's current location and state of undress.

"Well, yes, I suppose we did," Snape remarked as though they were discussing the weather. "Not _just_, though. A few hours ago, before you fell asleep. If you feel too much time has elapsed to properly analyze the situation, we could certainly refresh your memory…" He moved closer, so that Lucius could feel his breath on his face.

"Snape," Lucius choked, "We took a _love potion_. Both of us. Your antidote is going to make things _extremely_ awkward."

"Oh…that," Snape said. "Well, if you must know, I told something of a lie of omission earlier."

"And what did you omit, exactly??" Lucius hissed through gritted teeth.

Severus grinned. "Your potion – the one you so cunningly slipped into my drink, that is – contains none of the ingredients necessary for even the most basic of love charms."

There were several seconds before Lucius could muster a reply. Snape waited patiently. "So…there was never any love potion," he stammered finally.

"None," Severus said, obviously relishing the word.

"Then I'm…and…you're…"

"Evidently." When Lucius's face remained bewildered, Snape gestured at the door. "If you'd like me to give you a moment to process all this…"

He stood, pulled on his pants, and had almost reached the door, robe in hand, before he heard his name. "Severus…" Snape looked back at Lucius, who was still sitting on the bed.

"Yes?"

"I…There's a feather out of place that I can't quite reach…"

Severus crossed the room and looked at the middle of Lucius's left wing. "You know, that one would be perfect for the antidote," he told Lucius, eyeing the feather.

"Really?" asked Lucius, pursing his lips.

Severus reached over to handle the feather in question. "Indeed. I could mix it right now if you like."

Lucius relaxed into his touch and sighed. "Well…you needn't be as hasty as all that," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I believe they're starting to grow on me."


End file.
